Rating: 
Summary: Maddening But Worthy
Review: ... There are few irrefutable facts to be listed in regards to
the release and reception of The Phantom Menace. I'll limit myself
to the following: It made two truck loads of money. It permitted an onslaught of cynical marketing in its name. It failed to meet the expectations of its fans. As for the first item, raking in the cash is no big deal
these days; it reveals nothing either way about the quality of
the film involved. As for the second, to have expected no marketing
campaign, or even a reasonable one, would have been presuming to
understand the incredibly complex, avaricious and unstoppable engine
of greed that powers the corporate multiplex of interconnected media.
It may or may not have been within George Lucas's ability to control;
at any rate, I honestly doubt that Lucas's primary intent in revisiting
his galaxy far, far away was to make sure that he had sixty katrillion
dollars instead of thirty. But on to more pressing matters. One's ability to enjoy 'Phantom Menace', I suppose, depends
greatly on how invested one was in the original trilogy. For
someone like myself--white, early thirties--the investment is
considerable. So, like many of my ilk, I do not like this film.
I don't like its cartoonishness. I don't like how it plays fast
and loose with Star Wars icons. I particularly don't like the
sloppy script. And, like just about everybody, casual fans included, I
hate the fact Lucas seems to have abandoned the character-based
formula that powered the original trilogy, opting instead for a
political/historical canvas of sorts. But I can also see things in this film that nobody, not even
its apologists, ever seems to mention. How about Lucas's technical virtuosity? How about the film's
gentle good-nature? (I'd give a big wad of cash to anyone who disproves
my theory that 'The Phantom Menace' is the only major American release
of the last twenty years to include not a single sarcastic moment or
line of dialogue.) I seem to be the only person, fans of the film
included, who seems aware of, and grateful for, the deliberately
old-fashioned feel to this film. (Perhaps one of the reasons that
popular bane, Jar Jar Binks, bothers me so little is that he's easier
to deal with if you've seen as many old westerns, B serials, and war
films as I have, each with their own similarly broad comic relief.) Much more distracting to me were the action sequences in the
film that were scuttled by inappropriate "humor" that had nothing
to do with Jar Jar. The kid in the space battle going "Waaaah!"
like Macauley Culkin, or the two headed announcer who absolutely
ruins the pod race. Action scenes are the bread and butter of
Star Wars, and that sort of tinkering is unforgivable. It's maddening. 'The Phantom Menace' is a maddening movie,
a film of endlessly annoying details and flawed conceits built
upon an artful, learned, and heartfelt skeleton of ideas and
intentions. That seems to be my final verdict. As I write this, Episode II is only a few weeks from release.
I have no doubt that, like 'Phantom Menace', most of the movie-going
public will like it well enough, but not love it. And, like any
number of Star Wars die-hards out there, I will love it at its
core . . . . . . and not like it much. PEOPLE WHO'LL LIKE THIS MOVIE: nobody George meant to,
DVD collectors, ... the overly sentimental (like myself). PEOPLE WHO WONT LIKE THIS MOVIE: anyone who can't stand kids
in their action movies; anyone owning a Boba Fett action figure.
Rating: 
Summary: A Piece of Modern Mythology
Review: ... This is somewhat disappointing, especially considering the unfair way in which many have regarded the film. There's no need to arguer with these people -- I, for one, admit and accept that this film is not going to have me as thrilled as "Star Wars" or "Empire Strikes Back" because, frankly, I haven't been watching Episode I on the VCR weekly since I was 6 years old, as I have with the original trilogy. With any movie that recieves this much hype, it's not going to be possible for it to live up to the expectations. I'm not entirely sure what people expected -- obviously not an exciting, inventive, finely crafted action/adventure film, which is what they got. Yes, characterization is admittedly spotty, and some of the dialogue is only what you'd find in a sci-fi serial or a comic book or mythology...which, as I recall, is exactly what Lucas was going for in 1977, as well. Yes, there are so many special effects that they at times threaten to overtake the rest of the film. And, yes, I enjoyed the film immensely. The Star Wars saga is like a bit of modern mythology -- characters larger than life, worlds so elaborate and detailed that we have to stare back in awe, action sequences that push the envelope of what has been done before. Like it or not, Lucas' films have woven their way into our popular culture; just because this film didn't live up to impossible expectations doesn't change that. As a member of the saga, I found it enjoyable -- not up to the "Star Wars" freshness or the perfection of "Empire", but it's a step-up from the rushed wrap-up of "Return of the Jedi". What I respect and appreciate about the Phantom Menace, as with the rest of the saga, is Lucas' obvious love for his creation -- it shows in every frame, every detail. It may not be wholly original, but ... it isn't fun to get ... into his universe for a couple of hours. It is a MOVIE, after all, and for what it attempts -- to craft an entertaining story in an imaginary universe that has been established in 3 previous films -- it suceeds admirably.
Rating: 
Summary: To quote William Shatner....
Review: ..."Get a life." Some people have said that the tedious nature, trite dialogue and wooden characterizations can be forgiven because this is merely 1/6th of the entire Saga. My friends, I prefer to think of it as two hours of my life that I can never get back. Whether it was 1/8th, 2/15ths or 100% of a story is not important.. what's imprtant was this movie did not reflect ANY of the BASIC elements necessary to create an effective, moving story. Yes, the choreography was beautiful; yes, the music was good, but I can go to the ballet for that. TPM did not *move* me. Its characters did not touch me (except for Darth Maul who sadly was killed at the end; and Anakin's mom who we will probably never see again); its words were so hoary I had to dust myself off every so often; its plot was paper thin as to have deceived one into thinking Roger Corman had his hand in its production. My friends, this is not about the next two movies, or how TPM fits in with the original three.. this is about how TPM stand by itself as a movie, as a story. It does not stand. It sits there and dares you to be entertained. I for one turned down the dare.
Rating:
Summary: OH MY GOD THIS DVD SUCKS!!!
Review: ... The sound and picture quality are great, but the added bonus scenes they put in the movie are completely worthless. It was completely a case of "We can so we will." There's a great quote from Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park: "You were so worried about whether or not you could you didn't stop to think about whether or not you SHOULD." The pod-race scene is now way too long and choppy, and the other added scenes completely broke the flow of the movie. The one where JarJar comments on the Queen to Anakin is hilarious, but that's the only worthwhile addition. To top it off, some of the deleted scenes that they DIDN'T put in the movie are great and SHOULD have been put back in. They are transition scenes that explain a lot about the next scenes (like why Anakin is tired when running to the ship while leaving Tatooine.) The commentary and documentaries are great for the hard-core fan, but the version of the film they put on disk one is just pathetic. I do hope Lucas releases another DVD that you can choose which version you wish to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Why do I have a feeling we picked up ....
Review: ...another pathetic life form?
"Every generation has a legend. Every journey has a first step. Every saga has a beginning."
Two Jedi knights and an outcast must help a queen save her world, and along the way discover a boy who has the potential to be a powerful Jedi himself. And so the Legend of Darth Vader begins.
This was a very entertaining movie, and some people forget that: it is a MOVIE. Star Wars is not Rome, and it is a story based on the bible, IT IS A MOVIE, for your entertainment purposes. To be honest with you, the plot was just as good as any of the original plots, the story line has never been what makes Star Wars great, people act like "Luke, I am your father," was as dramatic as the end of the movie Seven, bad news for you guys, it wasn't. If you watch it again, it seems kind of ridiculous. I still have a hard time seeing why people viewed it as so dramatic, like watching the old Star Trek episodes (Yes I grew up watching it, I'm 25).
Back to the movie, as I cannot expect everyone to stop drinking the Kool-Aid, and realize this and those are just another movie. They are very good movies, and so was this, but nothing more. The cast of this movie was brilliant. Liam Neeson was fantastic, and had a very strong screen presence. His character demanded respect, and demonstrated authority. Ewan McGregor played a very good young Obi-Wan Kenobi. What I liked about this movie is it showed that despite Jedi being picked out while young, and trained almost since birth, they still possessed the ability of defiance.
Natalie Portman played Queen Amidala, and again, Lucas made a tremendous choice, and maximized her talent utilized her to perfection. The same can be said for Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker.
I will admit Jar Jar Binks character was annoying, and perhaps was a little over the top. He did not ruin the movie, he just detracted from it; yes DETRACTED, nothing more. Some people really just need to get a life, do something in their spare time besides talk in chat rooms about how bad this movie is, and realize the special effects are far superior to the old films, the story line is at least as good, and this was a perfect lead to the sequel. Is it my favorite movie? No. Does it belong in your DVD collection? Yes, right beside the old Star Wars movies.
Grade: B
Rating: 
Summary: I've seen plenty of bad movies with cool special effects...
Review: ...but I didn't expect Star Wars Phantom Menace to be one of them. I grew up with the original trilogy. I adored it as a child, and continue to as an adult. I waited sixteen anxious years for the release of Episode I, only to leave the theater feeling as if I had just had a bad dream. What can I say about this movie that hasn't been said before? Oh well. I 'll do it anyway. The screenplay, if you can call it that, is simply terrible. The dialogue is nearly impossible to listen to, the "story" is virtually non-existent. I don't think Lucas even know what kind of a story he was trying to tell. The dialogue exists only to string together the obviously fake, cg effect sequences. The special effects in the original looked better. There is virtually no character development, and as such, no character about whom you care in the enitre thing. A potentially great cast is literally wasted by Lucas in favor of his digital effects. The whole thing is bascially a video game that you watch, rather than play. The "story" if you really try to follow it, or make ANY sense of it, has more holes than the Moon does craters. The entire package is an insult to the audience. No matter what their age may be. Lucas had sixteen years to make this movie. After watching it, you get the distinct feeling that he spent those sixteen years inventing the special effects you see in the movie, but put off writing the script until the night before filming began. It is the biggest movie disappointment in the history of films. Seventeen years ago, Lucas said in an interview, that a special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing. He should have remembered that while he was producing this atrocity.
Rating:
Summary: Your 4-year-old will love it...
Review: ...but if you like Star Wars at all, you'll be sorely disappointed. Humor, entertainment, spirit, a decent story.. almost everything good about the first three movies is gone here. If it wasn't for Liam Neeson, we wouldn't even see any decent acting. There's no real villain. There are several modern cultural references that do nothing but degrade the movie and irritate the viewers. The plot (I use the word loosely) and dialogue are beyond ludicrous - even by George Lucas standards. Instead of an exciting and well-told story, we get a bunch of pointless drivel manufactured only to serve the special effects. Instead of witty banter and light humor, we get Jar Jar Binks and 'jokes' that belong in a bad Disney cartoon. Lucas has EXTREMELY dumbed down what was once a cinematic marvel, and instead made it into a superficial pre-adolescent slapstick fest for the purpose of a few billion extra merchandising dollars. It's a shame.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as expected, but....
Review: ...could it have been? No one will no that answer. Nothing in my opinion could have lived up to the hipe surrounding Episode I, but all negative reviews aside I would have to say I still had fun watching Episode I. And that is what is important.
Rating:
Summary: Old School Star Wars 101
Review: ...For every Star Wars fan that enjoyed The Phantom Menace, there'll be at least another ten or twenty 'old school' Star Wars fans that will, quite venomously, tell you the film had nothing to do with the spirit of Star Wars...Anyone of said 'old school', will never admit to even liking it, even if they yelped with excitement as Kenobi and Maul blew away the originals in a lightsaber clash that has to be seen to be believed. Okay, about the only person that didn't know that topping the original trilogy was an impossible task was Lucas himself but even saying that, what were his remaining options? There was a story to be told here. No one is under any illusions that Episode One's archilles heel was the storyline. Cramming so much past historical history into one film must have seemed as daunting a task to Lucas as Skywalker attempting to lift the X wing from the Dagobah swamp. So what of the pacing? Unfortunately, both are one and the same. If a story is disjointed, then the pacing and structure must also suffer as a result. Performances? No actor is reluctant to stress that when starring in a Star Wars film, you learn a type of Jedi frown, and that's about it (though singular and pleasantly surprising praise must be handed to an electric Ewan McGregor who's devotion to lightsabering is an exercise in unrestraint). Last saving grace? Action, special effects and set pieces, and it's here The Phantom Menace truly delivers. The velocity of the Tatooine pod race has never been seen in the history of cinema, bar none. The opening sequence sets the tone (let no one tell you that when they saw those two twin saber beams appear in the mist on the Droid Control Ship, that wasn't the true spirit of Star Wars) and the climatic three way lightsaber battle wraps up the first prequel in spectacular fashion. All in all, a flawed but highly entertaining chapter that is no where near as good as it should have been and no where near as bad as people will lead you to believe. Go on, go back and replay chapter 41 to close and tell me that single shot of the containment beams opening, allowing Kenobi and Maul to swedge for each other for all they're worth isn't simply magical...
Rating: 
Summary: But it's part of the Star Wars saga...!
Review: ...I'll admit: "The Phantom Menace" wasn't the greatest Star Wars movie ever made...but it wasn't horrible! And yes, I hated Jar Jar Binks like most of you but I didn't hold that one character against my feelings toward this movie. And of course this is not like the old Star Wars trilogy--that trilogy was Luke Skywalker's story. Now we are onto the trilogy which gives us Anakin Skywalker's story on why and how he becomes Darth Vader. I mean, after all, he wasn't BORN Darth Vader! It was sort of unfair that "The Phantom Menace" received an overwhelmingly ancticipation of media hype so of course it could not live up to everyone's expectations (we all had different expectations, I'm sure). But it did satisfy me, which is a good thing because I am a big Star Wars fan. Of course I loved the old trilogy but I'm also learning to love and appreciate the new trilogy, unlike some stubborn Star Wars fans. The action sequences were awesome...and even the acting was pretty good. The dialouge and plot were okay, but who sees Star Wars for the dialouge?! Yes, the robots and animated characters/scenes were a little cheesy but I'm sure Lucasfilm did their best. I rate this movie 4/5 stars and the DVD a solid 5. This DVD is one of the best DVDs ever with over 600 hours of "The Making of 'The Phantom Menace'", documentaries made by George Lucas, featurettes, CD-ROM extras, Web documentaries, and tons more! It also includes the original "Phantom Menace" trailer, and picture-perfect sound and quality. If you are a true Star Wars fan, then this DVD is highly recommended. I can't wait for "Attack of the Clones"!
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